Launay Castle
Launay Castle , also known as Villiers-le-Mahieu Castle , is a 17th century moated castle near Villiers-le-Mahieu in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region .
history
According to a legend, the castle was built by the English, for whom there is no historical evidence. The rule of Villiers-le-Mahieu can be traced back to the 12th century. In the 13th century, the Maizelan family appeared as masters of the castle. In 1360 the Lord of Maizelan was taken as one of the hostages who were to guarantee the return of the county of Montfort to the King of England . Thereafter ownership passed to the Mesnil-Simon, who can be traced back to Villiers-le-Mahieu until the 16th century. In 1642, under Claude de Bullion, Launay Castle was extensively renovated. After several further changes of ownership, Launay was finally converted into a castle hotel in 1980. The building has been classified as a monument historique since 1964 .
investment
When it was rebuilt in 1642, significant parts of the medieval moated castle were reused. This was an almost square complex with a total of nine round towers: four towers at the corners, one tower in between on three fronts, except on the entrance side, which had a double-towered portal . A floor plan that was typical of high medieval castles in Western Europe. During the renovation in the 17th century, the east wing was expanded as the main residential wing, while the west wing including the middle tower was completely demolished in order to satisfy the baroque castle type of a three-wing complex. The moat was preserved, but on the west side this was spanned by an additional bridge that leads into the castle park .
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes des Yvelines. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-84234-070-1 , p. 620.
- Hélène Lefebvre: Châteaux de Normandie . Édition Patrimoines, Prahecq 2010, ISBN 978-2-916757-48-3 , p. 131.
Web links
- Homepage of the castle hotel (French, English)
- History of the castle ( Memento of November 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (French)
- Brief description at topic-topos (French)
Coordinates: 48 ° 51 ′ 28 " N , 1 ° 46 ′ 4" E